A charity which provides a lifeline to severely disabled children and adults could be forced to cut its services as the latest victim of the economic downturn.

The Foundation for Conductive Education, in Russell Road, Moseley, has launched an urgent appeal for £120,000 as it faces its “most challenging year yet”.

After 23 years of serving children and adults with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis from across the world, charity bosses have written to Birmingham business leaders appealing for cash as it reaches a crisis point.

It comes just months after children’s hospice charity Acorns revealed it would go bust if it failed to find £2?million.

Treena Jones, director of fundraising at the foundation, said: “We need to raise an additional £120,000 to ensure all our services continue.

“There is a resistance at the moment from companies and individuals to spend on charitable giving and this has had an effect.

“We do get support from bodies like Birmingham council, but this is only toward local people and guarantees things like education, but we get people coming to us from far and wide and we might have to turn people away and cut additional services if we don’t raise the money we need.

“The foundation doesn’t want that to happen but with public support, we can continue as we are now.”